Sailor Moon Chapter Eleven

[nevermore999]

Aka "let's see how badly Mamoru can dress".

We'll open with a sweet moment between Usagi and Luna, as Usagi wakes up from a dream about Mamoru:



Between Luna's EPIC SULKITUDE and Usagi's reassuring huggle, I think I'm getting cavities. But trouble's on it's way, as Usagi is rudely knocked over by SOMEONE MYSTERIOUS ON HER WAY TO SCHOOL. And the back is familiar to her! Presumably she recognized it by the Ray-bans and the fact he's wearing a SCARF with his suit even though it's spring. Yep, that's right, it's...



MAMORU! Usagi would recognize that dorkiness anywhere!

Motoki recognizes him as the dude Usagi always hangs around with and approaches him (unlike in the anime, they don't know each other)



Well, that's one way to make friends, I guess.

But enough of that, it's time to go to Ami-chan's house!




Oh you guys. (Usagi instinctively yelling that it's not her fault and Makoto's judge-y face cracks me up)



Ami is just rolling in diamonds, apparently.

So the sword is super special, and the Senshi discuss the events of the moon kingdom and whether they'll be able to defeat the same big bad that destroyed their kingdom (not helped by the fact that Mars sensed really BAD VIBES and that they might not all survive earlier when doing her fire divination)



Usagi wakes up feeling depressed and decides to go play video games to distract herself. AND THERE SHE FINDS...



A MAN IN A COWPRINT SWEATERVEST.

What.

Seriously, Mamoru, what are you wearing. If you're trying seduce Usagi into your  evil clutches, that is not the way to go.



So maybe the anime got confused and though Mamoru was really a college student and Motoki's BFF when he was just pretending to be? IDK.

The Senshis rush over and are shocked to see Mamoru and his terrible vest:



Usagi is convinced Mamoru is really a different person due to weird vibe she gets off him and the fact he well, says he is, and Luna and Rei try to get her to stay away but she's like "I KNOW IT'S NOT REALLY HIM BUT I CAN'T I CAN'T STAY AWAY."

Then she walks in on Motoki straddling Mamoru's shoulders and generally putting his hands all over him. No, I'm serious, look at this, look at his leg:



What an awkward thing for your girlfriend to walk in on. Also, I have no idea what Mamoru's even wearing here. A shirt made out of...pixels?



DENIED. Perhaps it's the weird outits and blatant ho-yay with other men that turns her off from you, honey. Also the fact you fail at being subtle about how you want info.

Also Usagi's so down on herself, aw. :(



Yeah, sorry, she's too awesome for you, dude. (Actually, in both the anime and manga, it's a pretty strongly made point that Usagi is resistant to brainwashing...as opposed to poor Mamoru. I guess it's the fact that in addition to a strong mental will, she's got a one-track "pure" mind or whatever, while Mamoru is a a bit more wishy-washy about things, despite his good heart)

Anyway, Mako has had enough of Mamoru's shit and goes to confront him.



OH GOD LOOK OUT MAKO HE'S EDWARD CULLEN HE HAS THE SKIN OF A KILLER.

(...couldn't resist)

Makoto calls everyone to the control room. She start's freaking out at them that "Endou" is going to steal the Silver Crystal, and Usagi assures her it's okay since she always carries it with her and takes it out. AND THEN MAKOTO ATTACKS.



...and then Minako SWOOPS IN LIKE A NINJA, kicking Makoto in the face and knocking her the fuck out.

Wow, Mina, wow. I just cannot handle what a badass you are. I mean, it it possible for you to get more-



Oh, okay.

Whip of love, huh? You should sell that to the BDSM industry.

Motoki's down for the count, but Mamoru's in the fight as Tuxedo Mask, sparkling the hell out of everybody and thoroughly confusing Usagi.



Luna bites Mamoru on the arm and then...



NOT THE KITTY.



You've gone too far, Mamoru. No one screw with the kitty on Usagi's watch.



She won't let you set your trap to seduce her!





It's on now.


Tune in next time for a couple full color pages (we even get to see the cowprint vest in color I know you were all dreaming of that) and an epic fight between Usagi and her brainwashed lover, culminating in her having to make a terrible, terrible choice.

 

Comments

[silverzeo]

KUKU

.... And is Beryl growing shoulder horns?

[neev]

Shoulder horns are totally in this season.

[punishermax]

Lady Gaga for the new Sailor Moon villain sign my petition please

[skjam]

The Onion had an article with Lady Gaga as a villain on the Adam West Batman series.

[greenmask]

A MAN IN A COWPRINT SWEATERVEST.

Oh Mamoru. OH MAMORU!!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if Usagi's resistant to brainwashing because she's.. a bit daffy. Mamoru's more likely to consider all angles and convince himself (or be convinced), but Usagi's just kind of mentally unassailable and uninterested in things that aren't on her list.

[majingojira]

Man, whoever translated this A) I thank them B) Forgot to translate certain things to my great annoyance.

"Odango Atama" and "Maboroshi no Ginzuisho" really could be translated pretty easily, especailly since one is a fantasy item.

Then there's the honorifics fixation anime translators have. Ugh. You don't see that kinda crap with Indian, Chinese or French films.

If you set out to translate something, is it wrong to think that you should, ya know, fully translate it?

Sorry, ranty. Bugs the hell outa me.

But on the good side, we can all appreciate a Twilight joke. Mamoru with sparkly hypno eyes is a good level for comparison.

Ladies and gentlemen. Look into THE HYPNOTIC EYE!

[arilou_skiff]

Eh, a lot of french-translatd stuff leaves "madame" "monsieur" and "mademoiselle" untranslated as well.

[majingojira]

Not that I've seen, but I won't tout the number I've seen as anything significant.

[punishermax]

Japanese honorifics are almost always left untranslated in my experience with reading this stuff.

This is where I learned what sama, kun and chan mean.

SASUKE KUN

[majingojira]

And in older translations (pre 2000 generally), they were never used in any published translation.

Even Fansubs didn't have them until the technology for subbing/translating became more available to the public.

But today, it can be found in official translations, to my annoyance and dismay.

But those at least have linear notes to explain them.

[nevermore999]

In the first chapter, the liner notes told us what maboroshi etc. and odango atama meant. So I don't really see the issue, though I would've translated them, it's not like it's a big deal.

And honestly? I appreciate that the honorifics aren't left off. It's an important part of Japanese culture, and it's really quite easy to learn what they mean. What's wrong with learning something about another culture, and keeping the full phrase the characters are saying rather than cutting it off? Sometimes honorifics are really important to the work as well, such as when Usagi ASKS if she can call Ami "Ami-chan" or decides to call Mamoru Mamo-chan, or Mamoru calls Usagi Usako- was that supposed to not be translated either? There's this entire plot point in the live action Sailor Moon series about how Usagi always automatically refers to her friends as "chan" and Ami is not comfortable with it and always does the formal "san". How would that have made sense had they not left the honorifics on?

Leaving honorifics on are an important part OF an accurate translation, and not betraying the cultural context it's in. Usually there's liner notes to explain it, too, but most anime fans honestly know what they mean in general, and it's ridiculously easy to look up.

[majingojira]

Well, that's good to know, at least. Still lazy and a sign of the clique-ish nature of fansubs in the last 15 years or so.

Which is when Honorifics began to creep in after decades of translation without comments.

Go look at translations pre 2000 and you'll be hard pressed to find any fan or official translation that leaves the original honorifics in place. Hell, the official literature on the subject (Yes, there is literature on the subject) er's on the side of translating instead of using terms that the audience may not be familiar with.

Allow me to link you to the documentary I've been mentioning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUYlqLlbix0 -- Here's the first part of the documentary "The Rise and Fall of Anime Fansubs".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoJ_BWQ9Kow - Part 2, the examples start to flow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFu9lh37X34 - Part 3, how the choices are ostracizing people not already in the genre.
Just check the number of times you've seen "Even at a time like this".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8oYz1dP0-k - Part 4, on random notes within the show or manga itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED3HAEjKUl0 - Final Part. More bad phrasings and a look at all these bad concepts used by fansubbers put together in one short.

[sparkthatbled]

"Odango Atama" (dumpling head) and "Maboroshi no Ginzuisho" (Imperium Silver Crystal, which might be from the old DiC dub...) can be translated easily.

Honorifics are an entirely different matter, especially when it involves a moment that defines a character relationship. How would you translate "Mamo-chan" or "Usako" into pure English without it looking weird? It would be better off if they were just passed off as pet names.

[crinos]

Mamoru has YAOI vision!

[icon_uk]

What a... potentially useful, if disturbing in it's implications, power.

[majingojira]

Best comment!

[janegray]

...Suddenly I feel like reading some Mamoru/Motoki fanfiction.

Look at them. They are rubbing each other. Why didn't they do that in the anime? They really should have.

[timgueugen]

Which no doubt would have resulted in the dub claiming they were cousins.

[janegray]

Ironically, in Japan cousins can be lovers and get married, and the story takes place in Tokyo, so even if Michiru and Haruka had been cousin, that wouldn't have made a difference.

[leikomgwtfbbq]

Cowprint sweater-vest. I'm a pretty terrible dresser myself, but even I know that no one in OR out of their right mind would wear such a monstrosity.

Oh

[01d55]

No wonder everyone femships here
no-one could love a man with that fashion nonsense

Re: Oh

[icon_uk]

Which is why most of us attracted to the men would usually remove the clothes first as a matter of some decency as well as urgency

[pseudo_tsuga]

MOO-VEST. SKIN OF A KILLER. Oh Mamoru, I lol at you forever.

[cygna_hime]

Somehow, I had forgotten over the years how TERRIBLE Mamoru's fashion sense was. Oh my GOD why the cowprint sweatervest why. It's a good thing you have mind-control vision, or no one would ever talk to you.

I gotta say, I love honorifics. Looooove them. Especially when you compare/contrast this with the Tokyopop translation I originally read (AND PAID MONEY FOR OH GOD WHY I WAS SO YOUNG), which...could not be arsed to pay attention to such plebian matters. Among others. Many, many others.

[superfangirl1]

Poor luna and Cowprint sweater-vest really? :P